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Survey on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Italy
Insights
Posterior retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is aggressive, linked to lower gestational age and sepsis. Preventing preterm birth and neonatal sepsis is crucial for reducing posterior ROP incidence.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Ophthalmology
- Public Health
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant concern in preterm infants.
- Posterior ROP (P-ROP) represents a severe form of the disease, affecting specific retinal zones.
- Understanding ROP and P-ROP incidence and risk factors is vital for clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and risk factors of ROP and P-ROP in Italy.
- To analyze the rates of surgical treatment for ROP.
- To evaluate the short-term outcomes of ROP in a cohort of high-risk infants.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, multicenter observational study.
- Inclusion criteria: infants with birth weight ≤750g and/or gestational age ≤27 weeks.
- Data collected from 25 Italian neonatal intensive care units between 2008-2009.
Main Results:
- 421 infants were studied.
- ROP developed in 62.9% (265 infants).
- P-ROP occurred in 24.2% (102 infants).
Conclusions:
- P-ROP is the most aggressive form of ROP, associated with lower gestational age and sepsis.
- Reducing severe preterm births and preventing neonatal sepsis are key strategies to decrease P-ROP incidence.
- Collaboration between obstetricians and neonatologists is essential for P-ROP prevention.
Background:
This study aims to investigate the incidence and the relative risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and posterior-ROP (P-ROP): ROP in Zone I and posterior Zone II, as well as to analyze the occurrence of surgical treatment of ROP and to evaluate the short term outcome of the disease in Italy.
Methods:
It is a prospective multicenter observational study; all infants with a birth weight (BW) ≤ 750 g and/or a gestational age (GA) ≤27 weeks born between January 1st 2008 and December 31st 2009 in 25 III level Italian neonatal intensive care units were eligible for the study.
Results:
421 infants were examined: 265 (62.9%) developed ROP and 102 (24.2%) P-ROP.
Conclusions:
P-ROP is the most aggressive type of ROP. It associates with lower GA and sepsis. Obstetricians and Neonatologists must focus on the reduction of severe preterm births and on the prevention of neonatal early and late onset sepsis in order to reduce the incidence of P-ROP.
